Blog

Hesperian’s commitment to health & social justice

February 21, 2017

Before Hesperian was an organization, it was a group of people – experts in the conditions of their community — who believed that they could learn what they needed to do to improve people’s health and address the structures of economic, political, social and cultural power to create more equitable alternatives. This belief in people’s abilities to promote health has been and remains our motivating principle, one which we now consciously reaffirm and intend to build upon to meet the growing needs of vulnerable people at home and abroad.

Given the outcome of the recent US elections and the threat to people’s health and rights, Hesperian recommits itself over the next years to strengthen and support US movements for health and social justice.

Our 40 years of work producing popular education materials on health has resulted in much we can contribute. We will focus our efforts using and adapting this invaluable material, applying the experience of our staff, and drawing upon existing global and national partnerships to deepen and create new ties to communities in the US that confront challenges to health. Hesperian materials can be used as tools to help these communities organize to achieve the right to health for women, communities of color, immigrants, gay, lesbian and trans people, those who have lost their access to care in this current assault on health as well as those whose access has always been denied. We will emphasize issues of human health in opposing the threats to life posed by climate change and militarism, and will work to defend those struggling in all these areas by supporting and popularizing street medicine.

Healthy people in thriving, equitable communities – it’s not just a description of the world we work to create, it also describes the movements we must build to achieve it. We look forward to joining you in that struggle.